Abstract
Community pharmacists are often the first point of contact for the public, especially during pandemics. As outlined by the International Pharmaceutical Federation, community pharmacists have an important public health role during this Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) public health emergency. We therefore investigated the current practices, response preparedness and professional development needs of community pharmacists in Qatar. A descriptive cross-sectional online 38-item questionnaire-based survey constructed on evidence-based public health roles of pharmacists was conducted between 28 May and 18 June 2020. Questions related to current practices required responses on a 5-point Likert-type scale ranging from "always" to "never". The questionnaire was evaluated for validity and the reliability analysis showed a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.921. The response (n = 311) rate for the survey was 34.2%. More than 75% of pharmacists "always" encouraged and practiced hygiene and social distancing measures. On the other hand, the proportion of pharmacists "always" involved in patient assessment, education or providing information related to COVID-19 and application of evidence-based protocol ranged from 32 to 73%. The vast majority (87-96%) of pharmacists indicated that they needed professional development related to COVID-19. Overall, 77% of pharmacists either "strongly agreed" or "agreed" that they have all the necessary COVID-19 related emergency response preparedness and training. Country from which pharmacists obtained their first degree, and the type of pharmacy where they practice influenced their overall perception toward emergency response preparedness. Community pharmacists in Qatar are willing to receive additional training related to COVID-19 public health crisis despite being prepared to engage with patients.
Highlights
Community pharmacists are often the first point of contact for the public, especially during pandemics
Community pharmacists in Qatar are willing to receive additional training related to COVID-19 public health crisis despite being prepared to engage with patients
Ever since the first reports of a cluster of cases of pneumonia caused by SARS-CoV-2 was reported in December of 2019 in Wuhan, China, which was later named as Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), almost 66.7 million people have been infected resulting in approximately 1.53 million deaths worldwide [1,2]
Summary
Community pharmacists are often the first point of contact for the public, especially during pandemics. We investigated the current practices, response preparedness and professional development needs of community pharmacists in Qatar. 77% of pharmacists either “strongly agreed” or “agreed” that they have all the necessary COVID-19 related emergency response preparedness and training. Even asymptomatic individuals may spread the virus and recovered individuals may continue to remain contagious for up to two weeks after the resolution of symptoms [4,5,6]. These characteristics of the disease warrant early detection and prevention, to minimize community transmission. Cough, myalgia, and shortness of breath are some of the most common symptoms of the disease that can be assessed through a brief medical history and examination of vital signs [7]
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